The Die is Cast
The Die is Cast is a case featured in Criminal Case, it appears as the twenty-first case in The Syndicate and the twenty-first case overall. It takes place as the first case in the Arcadia Strip district of Easthaven. Plot Following Valerie Decker's murder, the team soon arrived in Arcadia Strip to investigate the Valentini family, minus Nancy who stormed out of the precinct the previous night. After Raymond arrived back in the station to assist the team, he charged the player and Jake Coleman with patrolling the district as his first task with the police force. Jake then giddily insisted that it had always been his dream to serve on a police force and talked about how honoured he was, before they noticed the fountain water running red. Upon closer inspection, they found a body with her fingertips, teeth, and face removed. Sick from the scene, they shipped the body to Daphne, who gravely confirmed she'd been unable to identify the victim due to the severe wounds. She did, however, recover a poker card leading them to The Zephyr casino, ran by the Valentini's. Suspected bouncer Frank Blossom then revealed he remembered the victim via her diamond necklace, revealing that she only gave the name "Elmina". They also found reason to suspect casino owner Lorenzo Valentini and Mildred's grandfather, Mayor Edgar Murdoch, who met "Elmina" in a local hotel lobby, though she called herself "Dahlia". Later, a hungover Nancy entered the precinct holding a half-empty bottle, revealing that she'd remembered the victim from the night before. Reluctantly, they brought Nancy to an interrogation room, where she clutched her head following her hangover. Nancy then sighed and admitted that she was drinking in a parking lot at night, when the woman joined her, giving her the name "Celeste". She then confessed that the pair became friends before the night took them in different directions. They then searched the parking lot Nancy met the victim in and suspected camper Cole Schmetterling. It was also discovered that Lorenzo monitored "Elmina" for card reading after she kept winning at the tables and celebrating her victories, and that Frank and "Elmina" shared a night of romance. They also spoke to Matthew, who was fawning over love letters sent to him by Noah White, and William, who was worried his father would argue with him when learning he'd been hanging out in casinos. Then, Barbara approached the pair and revealed grave news. After doing research into Nancy's past to discover why she stormed off, she learned that Nancy Miller didn't exist before five years ago. The pair then confronted Nancy as she nursed her hangover. When confronted, Nancy angered and told them she wouldn't talk about it. She then reminisced on meeting the victim, commenting that the victim wasn't drinking to forget her woes, but to celebrate like it was the last night on Earth. It was also discovered that Cole and "Elmina" had met during the night, with Cole insisting that the victim had begged to go on one of his camping trips. Edgar was also questioned when he saw the victim enter a strip club, revealing he was worried for the mysterious woman's safety. As the pair reviewed the case, a frustrated Jake wished they'd be able to identify the victim soon. Despite having no identity for the victim, they narrowed down the killer to Cole. When confronted, Cole denied the accusations profusely, prompting Jake to nervously press on. Cole laughed, insisting they didn't even have an identity for the victim, saying they didn't even know if the woman was called "Elmina" or "Celeste". Jake then sighed and admitted they may have got the wrong person, before realizing they never told Cole about the victim calling herself Celeste. Cole then cracked and revealed "Elmina" was called Lucille Moon, a notorious bank thief on the Eastern coast. He then revealed that Lucille was on the run after shooting the bank clerk. Cole discovered that Lucille had fled to Easthaven and tracked her to the district, where he found her partying and enjoying the night like it was the last time. An angered Cole then confronted Lucille, who confessed her identities and that she was enjoying one last night of freedom before turning herself in for the murder. However, the knowledge that Lucille was turning herself in wasn't enough to quench Cole's blood lust, as he stabbed her in the heart with a camping knife. To cover his tracks, he realized Lucille wouldn't have used her real name in Arcadia Strip to avoid capture, and thus decided to remove Lucille's fingertips, teeth, and face to stop the team from retrieving a positive identification. When asked why he wanted to kill Lucille, Cole confessed that he wanted justice, revealing the bank clerk who Lucille killed was in fact his sister. In court, Judge Watson reviewed the case, then decreeing that a twenty-five year sentence was appropriate. After the court was adjourned, the team reluctantly agreed they needed to discover the truth behind Nancy's lies. Jake and the player first spoke to Raymond, who decided to reassign Grayson, who was recovering from Valerie's death, to aid the player in investigating Nancy. Grayson, insisting he was fine, then suggested they find evidence of Nancy's past before five years ago and suggested they trust and speak to Nancy. Nancy refused to admit to anything and then remembered that she'd left her handbag in the parking lot. With no other choice, they searched the parking lot and found Nancy's bag, then discovering a school yearbook. After Velma analysed it, she confirmed that underneath Nancy's photo, a name had been scratched out. She confirmed she'd been able to identify the forename as Gianna, but the second name was ineligible. The pair then confronted Nancy over her real name, prompting her to bury her face in her hands and admit she was Gianna Valentini, the Valentini heir who disappeared years ago. Nancy then recounted that she lived a good life, but never knew where her family's money came from. Over the years, Nancy pieced together the truth; her family were criminals and murderers, and that all of her money was blood money. She then revealed that she changed her identity and fled to Easthaven, enlisting on the team to help wash off her and her family's sins. When she discovered she'd have to face her family once more, Nancy admitted that she cracked and lost herself to the lights of Arcadia Strip and to the bottle to forget her woes. The team then sympathised with their friend who apologised for her actions, but confessed she couldn't admit the truth out of fear they'd shun her. A few hours later after Nancy had cured her headache, Nancy then requested to speak to the pair. She revealed that when she discovered the team would face the Valentini's, she panicked and rushed back to her apartment in order to gather any clues about her past. She then tried to burn it by the fountain. Believing the information may be helpful, Nancy requested to accompany the player to restore the burned information. After doing so, and piecing together the ashes of paper, they discovered a list of contacts to the Valentini family. William then analysed the document and confirmed that amongst the list was the Chessmaster, who worked as a "fixer" for the family. Knowing that Lorenzo would deny any link to the Chessmaster, the team elected to question Valentini bouncer Frank Blossom. Frank then admitted he hadn't heard of the alias Chessmaster, but also confessed that it wouldn't surprise him if the Valentini's had connections to a criminal figure, admitting his growing distaste for the family. Later on, Nancy thanked for the team for not turning her away when the truth was revealed. The team then responded that they all had difficult pasts, but it's how they move on with the future that matters. Afterwards, Raymond agreed that they needed to investigate the Valentini family further, telling the team to pull up their sleeves as they were heading back into the district. Summary Victim *'"Elmina"' (found with her fingertips, teeth, and face removed) Murder Weapon *'Curved Blade' Killer *'Cole Schmetterling' Suspects Suspect's Profile *The suspect is left-handed. *The suspect drinks shrimp cocktail. *The suspect reads Arcadia Times. Suspect's Profile *The suspect is left-handed. *The suspect drinks shrimp cocktail. *The suspect reads Arcadia Times. Suspect's Profile *The suspect is left-handed. *The suspect reads Arcadia Times. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has a dirt stain. Suspect's Profile *The suspect is left-handed. *The suspect drinks shrimp cocktail. *The suspect reads Arcadia Times. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has a dirt stain. Suspect's Profile *The suspect is left-handed. *The suspect drinks shrimp cocktail. *The suspect reads Arcadia Times. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has a dirt stain. Killer's Profile *The killer is left-handed. *The killer drinks shrimp cocktail. *The killer reads Arcadia Times. *The killer has a dirt stain. *The killer is male. Crime Scenes Steps Chapter 1 *Investigate Arcadia Fountain. (Clues: Victim's Body, Sparkling Necklace) *Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer is left-handed; New Crime Scene: The Zephyr) *Investigate The Zephyr. (Clues: Broken Badge, Gun, Faded Photograph) *Examine Broken Badge. (Result: Faded Name) *Examine Faded Name. (Result: Name Uncovered; New Suspect: Frank Blossom) *Interrogate Frank on the woman in the casino. *Examine Gun. (Result: Fingerprints) *Examine Fingerprints. (Result: Fingerprints Identified; New Suspect: Lorenzo Valentini) *Confront Lorenzo on the murder. *Examine Faded Photograph. (Result: Hotel Lobby Photo) *Analyze Photo. (04:00:00; New Suspect: Edgar Murdoch) *Speak to Edgar about the murder. *Examine Sparkling Necklace. (Result: Liquid Substance) *Analyze Liquid Substance. (07:00:00; Attribute: The killer drinks shrimp cocktail) *Go to Chapter 2. (No stars) Chapter 2 *Speak to Nancy about how she met the victim. (Attribute: Nancy drinks shrimp cocktail; New Crime Scene: Parking Lot) *Investigate Parking Lot. (Clues: Camping Bag, Recycling Bin) *Examine Camping Bag. (Result: Faded Label) *Examine Fadel Label. (Result: C SCHMETTERLING; New Suspect: Cole Schmetterling) *Interrogate Cole on the murder. (Attribute: Cole is left-handed) *Examine Recycling Bin. (Result: Curved Blade) *Analyze Curved Blade. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer reads the Arcadia Times; New Crime Scene: Casino Tables) *Investigate Casino Tables. (Clues: Burned Money, Tie Mark) *Examine Burned Money. (Result: Skin Cells) *Analyze Skin Cells. (03:00:00) *Confront Lorenzo over burning the money. (Attribute: Lorenzo is left-handed, drinks shrimp cocktail, and reads the Arcadia Times) *Examine Lipstick Mark. (Result: Crimson Lipstick) *Speak to Frank over his "rendezvous" with the victim. (Attribute: Frank is left-handed, drinks shrimp cocktail, and reads the Arcadia Times) *Go to Chapter 3. (No stars) Chapter 3 *Confront Nancy over the lack of records of her existence. (Attribute: Nancy is left-handed and reads the Arcadia Times; New Crime Scene: Red Water) *Investigate Red Water. (Clues: Torn Card, Pouch) *Examine Torn Card. (Result: Postcard Message) *Examine Postcard Message. (Result: Messenger Identified) *Question Cole over why he lied. (Attribute: Cole drinks shrimp cocktail and reads the Arcadia Times) *Examine Pouch. (Result: Money Pouch) *Analyze Money Pouch. (06:00:00) *Ask Edgar why he gifted the victim the money. (Attribute: Edgar drinks shrimp cocktail and reads the Arcadia Times) *Investigate Pick-Up Truck. (Clues: Trash Bag, Toolbox) *Examine Trash Bag. (Result: Teeth and Fingertips) *Analyze Teeth and Fingertips. (07:00:00; Attribute: The killer has a dirt stain) *Examine Toolbox. (Result: Face) *Analyze Face. (14:00:00; Attribute: The killer is male) *Take care of the killer now! *Go to What Happens in Arcadia Strip... (1/5). (No stars) What Happens in Arcadia Strip... (1/5) *Speak to Nancy about her past. *Investigate Parking Lot. (Clue: Nancy's Handbag) *Examine Nancy's Handbook. (Result: Yearbook) *Examine Yearbook. (Result: Damaged Pages) *Analyze Damaged Pages. (06:00:00) *Confront Nancy over Gianna. (Reward: 20,000 Coins) *Investigate Arcadia Fountain. (Clue: Cooled Ashes) *Examine Cooled Ashes. (Result: Burned Pieces) *Examine Burned Pieces. (Result: Salvaged Document) *Analyze Salvaged Document. (08:00:00) *Speak to Frank about the Chessmaster. (Reward: Burger) *See how Nancy is holding up. (Reward: Red Rose) *Move onto a new crime! (1 star) Navigation Category:All Fanmade Cases Category:Cases in The Syndicate Category:Arcadia Strip